From Yulia to Daath
by Kasan Soulblade
Summary: The trip from Yulia City to Daath wasn't eventful, not on the surface, but the subtle changes that occured in that quiet span could change the ending to a chaotic tale...  AschNatalia implied
1. Useful

_To my readers:_

_This is a TOA story archive. It spans a specific time, from when Asch joins the party In Yulia city to when he leaves the group. Rather heavy Asch Natalia leanings, however I don't neglect the other characters. Originally it was going to be three separate stories, however I decided to compile them into one area since my profile is already crawling with stories and it would be hard to find them and read them in order amongst the rest of what I have up._

_As always, pleasant reading,_

_KS_

Story 1:

Useful

Normally she's have a part, a role. In battle she served as support, slowing monsters and the like with a barrage of arrows. Before the time where battle was a regular part of her life ritual, rules, and exercising the powers of her station had taken the whole of her time. Once cast from the familiar she had stumbled, ill at ease amongst the rather rowdy Guy, the innocent Ion, and cold Colonel. Tear and Anise had been a shock to her. They were living testaments to the ideal those of Kimlasca secretly cherished despite openly embracing the idea that the sexes were equal in all endeavors.

Women had no place in battle, in war. She'd lived with that mantra running through her head for so long the words had been engrained in her soul. When she'd finally been allowed to learn the basics of combat it was those words that had guided her to take up the bow.

Still, she had tried to be useful. Cooking meals and the like. It was only after setting the ramen while it was in water on fire that the others had firmly put their collective foot down. She wasn't to cook, so she temporized. She tried to learn while she journeyed in the wilds, and while perhaps not the most apt of pupils she did not seem to completely displease those around her. She brought down dinner more often than not, learned how to gut and tend the food for preparation… But the second dinner needed to be put on the fire the food was taken away and she was to stand three feet away from the proceedings.

Still, she had strived, and in the end proven useful.

Now though, it felt as if she wasn't. There was time aplenty, yet nothing to do. She'd tried to join them. Her feet padding across the steel floor of the Tartarus' room, she'd tucked herself into an empty seat. Leaning with ill comfort against the tall backed chair…

X

It was like a throne, yet not as comfortable. The edges bit into the back of her legs. Her pants had thinned and discolored over the course of her journey. By necessity all laundry was done at once, and the white leggings had fast become a pale blue grey. She checked a wince and looked first beyond, then at, the item obstructing the view of outside. The crystal, which hung in mid air, hummed as if in response to her scrutiny. Red light suffused its once grey expanse, and crept from the translucent center outward. Pulsing like a heart, it thrummed and shook, its quakings contained within the small span of air if was permitted. Curious runes, letters that were mostly curl and frill, coiled around the stone. A false planet belt of mysterious syllable and sound…

"You know how to use that?" Asch asked, looking up from his violet stone with some interest.

"Probably not." Leaving his chair and attendant crysal Guy padded up behind her. Forgetting his station the servent crossed his arms on the princess' head rest and set his chin down upon his arms. Blue eyes scanned the text, and Guy let out a chuckle. "Yeah," he confirmed with a smirk. "She doesn't have a clue. Thos'arin Klamtie." He read the text with sure confidence and offered the transilation with ease. "Thor's cannon."

Natalia tried to ignore the patronizing tone, adamatly refusing to snap back or protest... She'd only look the fool, or rather more the fool. Dropping her gaze so she wouldn't have to see L- no Asch's disaprovel she studied her hands. Oblivious to her sudden shame, or perhaps merely pretending to be, Guy leaned a little closer so he could better point at the small stationary symbol. It depicted a lightning bolt cutting through a hammer.

"Now, you see that little fellow?" Guy seemed to have squelched his gynophobia in favor of playing with a fon tech machine. "If you tap him..."

"Guy." Natalia firmly cut in. "If it is truely a weapon than perhaps we should no-"

With a warm laugh Guy reached over her shoulder to tap the symbol. His words "it's perfectly harmless" became a point of irony at a later date.

Eager to demonstrate the wonders of a Malkuth fon tech weapon, Guy reached out. And something, a preasure from the gem, seemed to reach for him. Responding to the sudden chill that went up her spine, Natalia cringed back into her chair, going deathly pale. Lightning was born from pressure, it snapped it's impatient fingers, crossing the span of gem to swordsman faster than the eye could follow. Guy didn't even have a chance to cry out, the power smashed him back five feet where he skidded across the Tatarus' slick steel floors. Managing little more than a breathless squeak Natalia cringed further against the chair, not daring to breath as the residual power from the gems attack hissed a mere inch in front of her nose.

"Don't move!" A voice bellowed at her.

Light came then. A shielding aura of silver tinted light snapped into place around her. The threads of lightning that touched it seemed to quake then fade out of existance. Even the sound of the writhing worms of fonon tech gone wrong seemed to be muted. From a world devorced ot the miniture lightining storm in front of her the harsh voice cried out.

"Damn it, someone shut down the cannon control's defense system!"

A door clanked noisily open on the far side of the room. The Colonel had returned from his quick journey to get some refreshment looked up from his glass of water. Jade took in the scene and with a quiet curse, cast the water down, and forsook the stairs leading to the master control panel. He lept over them with feline grace and the second he was steady reached over to the control panel. A few quiet clicks from the control panel and the gem hissed in malcontent. The storm in front of Natalia slowly disipated, leaving behind only the scent of burnt air. The fon gem ceased it's shaking, the color withdrew, and at last all was still.

Only then, when the gem was a colorless grey tinted mass, did the silver wall disappear.

Pale, shaking, Natalia turned to Jade. "Th... thank-"

Making an annoyed sound in his throat Jade merely pushed his glasses up. Acting oblivious to her thanks he stared at her with unblinking crimson eyes. The princess winced at the silent reprimand in his gaze.

"Natalia, as I understand it Batical is somewhat _conservative_ in it's tutalage of fon tech. It would be for the best if you'd leave controlling the Tartarus to those more experienced." Biting her lip Natalia nodded, slipping out of the chair without a word. Nerrowed crimson eyes flicked off the princess to fall upon the servant. "Really Guy, now's not the time for a nap."

Guy groaned, though more likley from the pain of his recent electrocution then at the Colonel's sally.

Crimson eyes took in the rest of the room. They noted how Asch quietly flicked his fingers, casting off seventh fonon with a grimace. Anise had taken a place in front of Ion, both holding him back and protecting him from just in case the lightning storm spread. As the Colonel settled more comfortably into his chair he pushed his glasses up once again, though it was hardly needful. Natalia was curiously casting her gaze around the room, perhaps wondering who had cast the protective shield, then when Guy moaned louder she went to him so she could heal his hurts. Anise began to scold Ion about rushing into things he couldn't fix, Ion was appologizing in his usual meek and mild manner... The scene of young adolecent love hidden in a underling superior relationship was rather cloying, so Jade turned away from that scene rather firmly.

Just in time to catch Asch sinking into his chair. The God General was staring just a bit _too_ thoughtfully at the fon tech stone. Pointedly the God General turned his head so that one ear was trained in the princess' direction...

Snorting as he realized his delema -he was surrounded by younglings in love- Colonel Curtiss kept his peace and offered only his omnipresent mocking smile to the preceedings.

X

They sipped on water from time to time. Rather than be a manual task, the stearing of the Tartarus seemed to be an arcanist heavy one. She watched the proceedings from afar after finding some rags and wiping up the spill then disposing of the glass out an open window. Under Jade's orders she wasn't to go off exploring alone, the God General's had probably left some surprises on the ship the Colonel had said. Asch had gruffly agreed, saying that Arietta had wandered the length and width of the land ship unescorted and even he wasn't sure what she was cappable of.

"Besides talking to monsters." Natalia had commented.

To her attempted joke Asch had raised one crimson eyebrow and turned from her. She wasn't sure whether or not there had been a hint of smile on his lips or not.

Faint light surrounded all those seated in front of thier purple control crystals. A kind of aura that one could clearly see from the corner of the eye, but when one turned it appeared to have been nothing but a trick of the fon lamp's light. Ion had been the first to stand and walk away from his stone. The young fon master had muttered something about a headache and Natalia had been on hand to gently steer him away from the crystals and tell him to lie down.

Without protest the boy folded himself on the steel floor, but he was shivering. It was then Natalia noted how late it had beome. Shadows cast by the cannons and ornate fonic designs embedded on the side of the dreadnoght were like dark teeth reaching into the ship. Checking her own shiver Natalia spent a fruitless span looking for a clock, but for all it's effecincy the Tartarus had no time piece within it's pioleting room.

Another shiver from Ion descided her. Gathering her courage Natalia went from piolet to piolet. first was Anise, the girl was chagrined to see Ion was looking so pale. A few soothing words delivered as a whisper and a request was all that needed to liberate Tokunagua. Large stuffie in hand, she returned to Ion, and set the toy under his head. It was the oddest pillow imaginable, but the white clad fon master snuffled against it, casting her a smile of thanks. Then she went to the Colonel, traversing the stairs he had eschewed for the sake of speed. He looked up at her approuch, frowned, but a few quick words and a gesture to Ion was all that was needed. The Colonel shucked off his coat and tossed it to her, casting Jade a warm smile she mockingly wrapped the coat around herself and walked as that street preformer Noir had. Keeping the awkward giat up as she descended the stairs.

Jade actually laughed at that, his crimson eyes warming with heartfelt amusement. With a salute to convey _his_ thanks for the entertainment the Colonel sat down and went back to work.

Considering the button encrusted garment Natalia drapped it over the shivering Fon Master, and at last the boy's shivering stopped. But though he was warm she was still cold. She considered Guy, but the servent's short yellow coat just didn't seem worth the trouble of bothering him. Rather reluctantly Natalia let her gaze drift to Asch, that long black talbard looked so warm... But it wasn't proper to ask, not for herself... The solution for her delemia came from the most unexpected source.

"Asch." Looking up from his work the God General turned to the _sleeping_ form of the Fon Master. Eyes half closed, wits lost in a haze of warm sleepiness, Ion yawned. His green eyes slid closed even as he mumbled to himself. Stretching to shake off the miasma of sleep Ion offered his startled subordanite a warm smile. "Could you please give Natalia your tabard? It's awful cold out today... wouldn't want... her to catch... a cold..."

The last was murmurred into Tokunagua's brown side. Snuggling into the little stuffed animal's embrace Ion driffted back to sleep with an odd squeaking noise.

Asch blinked, looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time then stared at Natalia. Whatever thoughts he had remained behind his closed lips and unreadable green eyes, but he did unbuckle the leather straps on both sides of his tabard and offered it to Natalia. She shyly took the garment, but turned it over in her hands, completely baffled as to how to put it on.

"Stretch out your arms." Asch ordered, keeping his voice so not to shake Anise and Guy out of thier working trances. When she did so he pulled the heavy garment over her head. With skill he avoided ruffling her hair as he guilded the large opening where the two halves met over her head. One slow circuit around her was all he needed to gather the dangling leather straps and set them in place. He tightened them, not as tight as a corset but not as loose as she had imagined it would be. Absently smoothing the black and red garment in place Asch looked her over.

Whatever thoughts he had flickured behind the green gates of his soul, he smiled though, as if amused.

"Thank you." Natalia managed.

He turned, though not returning to his seat he stared at the gem. The violet light was fast fading from the stone. Almost shyly Asch twiddled with his fingers, refusing to reply.

At last, confused more than hurt, Natalia backed away and lay down by the fon master to try to sleep.


	2. Gel beds

_A/N: Scratch that comment from the first chapter. This is a story dump spanning the time from Yulia City to Daath without a predetermined number of fics. It looks like I have more than three floating around in my head, though I'll try to keep them chronological. If all else fails I'll leave a note on top of each story giving an approximate timeline for it._

From Yulia to Daath

Story 2

Beds and showers

The beds of Belkend Port's sole inn, like the whole of the city, were strange, alien. Instead of a nice soft featherbed that would fold around him only so far and remain wholly solid and still, the bed in this inn in this city didn't cooperate. It… well it shifted as he sat on its edge. While the covers and blankets were soft and normal, the stuff under them was anything but. Too solid to be liquid, yet too… mobile to be solid, he decided that the substance under the mess of coverings and the like could only be sludge. It even smelled wrong… Wrinkling his nose at the faint chemical smell that rose from the apparatus he was supposed to be sleeping on, Asch the Bloody gritted his teeth.

He wasn't going to be cowed in by a… a bed. He was going to sleep, damn it! The strangeness of the bed be damned to Lorelie's darkest hell! Gathering his courage, Asch grimly pulled down the covers and stared at the deceptively smooth, rectangular mattress. It didn't shiver, or twitch as it had when he'd been forced to sit upon its edge. The subtle rolling motion that had crossed the length and width of the mattress had made Asch's blood go cold. The wrongness of it had been so pervading he'd hopped up and turned in time to see the mattress slid back into its proper shape.

"You will be still." Asch snarled at the potentially semi-liquid mattress.

The mattress remained still, as if cowed by his stern tone. It looked so damned harmless, and –though he hated to admit it- after a day spent powering the Tartarus with fonic arts it looked so very attractive. Soft blankets, fluffy pillows, both beckoned him, invited him to seek some peace in slumber.

Asch pulled off his casic, yanked the long length of fabric off. The priestly garment's soft tassels tickled the back of his neck. Still glaring at the bed, Asch tossed the length of fabric over his shoulder, with shaking hands he tugged at the leather bands that kept his tabard in place. It was like an oversized shirt really, one he happily pulled over his head and let fall heavily behind him.

Still the bed didn't quiver, it just sat there, held still by the wooden box that served something of a cage for it. Frowning, the God-General parted with the last of his accessories with obvious reluctance. Gently Asch leaned his sword against the wall, then, cringing with every step, he advanced upon his most unlikely of foes.

"You will be still." Asch ordered the bed once again. He gathered all of his courage, reminding himself of all that he was. He was one of the youngest and most famous God-Generals within the order of Lorelie, the survivor of Akzeriuth, heir to the Kimlascan Crown, the blood of House Fabre ran through his veins…

Asch considered his foe with slited green eyes, and decided to end this quickly. He leapt, determined to force the mattress into stillness. No son of Fabre would lose to a mere covering filled with liquid!

X

A loud thud nearly shook the floor under her feet. Cuddled under a soft yellow blanket a thick book of Kimlascan law in hand, the Princess of Kimlasca Lalvandear hardly noticed, as her feet were safely above the floor and set down upon the chair's accompanying leg rest.

_"Damn you! I'll finish this, now! Raging blast!_"

Looking up from her books, Natalia frowned. She could have sworn that Asch had screamed something… Closing the book, the princess of Kimlasca Lavendear untangled herself from blanket and chair. Just as she had gotten to her feet there came a hoarse masculine cry of shock. Then, ominously, it was followed by a long silence.

Before Natalia could become worried enough to investigate there was a knock on her door. As she moved to answer it, the door opened, and a very wet, chagrined, Asch stepped inside her private quarters. Clothes tucked under one arm, drenched in something too thick to be water the God General flinched when he realized that the room was occupied.

Having had others come to her room throughout the day with that same look of chagrin on their faces, needing exactly what Asch clearly needed, Natalia managed a grin.

"I am guessing that like the other five people, the innkeeper did not tell you the one room with working bathing facilities was occupied?" Asch managed a grunt in reply. Though the sound seemed unruffled his green eyes were wide. Most telling of all was the fact that he hadn't moved more than one step inside. Natalia laughed, and at Asch's answering glare she turned her unseemly brazen laughter into a more appropriate giggle. "Please, do not go. You look like you really need a bath."

Translucent goo slid off the god-general's form, landing with wet splats on the floor. The stuff gummed up his long hair into a shapeless crimson mass. Gingerly Asch touched his head; the motion would have ended with him running a hand through his hair. Natalia was suddenly reminded of a younger Luke. She could clearly see those few times when the crimson haired boy would run his fingers through long red locks. It was a nervous habit, "a tic" he had dubbed it, favoring her with a rueful grin…

The memory faded as Asch cringed when his fingers encountered the grey tinged goop. No grin, rueful or otherwise, graced his face.

Slowly, gingerly, the God-General grouped for words, fought to articulate his thoughts... his gratitude.

"I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you."

"You are welcome." Natalia retrieved her book and tucked it under her arm. She flashed Lu- no _Asch,_ a warm smile as she fumbled with the thick text. "I will give you some privacy. Yulia only knows what Anise would do if she heard about this! Could you imagine what she would say if I stayed?"

Asch's answering shudder told Natalia that he knew about Anise, even if he didn't know her personally he knew _of_ her. With a grimace that told volumes, Asch the Bloody shifted his grip on his clothes. Taking the unsubtle hint for what it was Natalia left without another word.


	3. Liar

_A/N: More or less Anise centric… I kind of like the idea of her mouth getting her into trouble with the others. Mer is a carry over from my Symphonia story "Shards". It roughly means "sir" in an ancient tongue and is used primarily by those of Daath, having fallen out of favor in the other countries for being so old fashioned. _

From Yulia to Daath

Chapter 3

"Liar"

"And his hair, you don't know the _real_ reason it's red, do you?" She asked; raising her eyebrows and doing her best "ghoul voice" as the Colonel liked to call it. Normally her audience was now struck speechless. They'd be leaning forward, eyes wide, faced pale, begging the story out of her from pallid shaking lips... Now, however, Anise Tatlin found her favorite listener listless, board. Worse than that, Natalia didn't believe a word she was saying! It was enough to send a girl into a huff!

"It's always been red."

"_Blood_ red?" Anise countered.

"Yes, though he always preferred to call it crimson."

Silence fell then, fell and smothered the juice out of her story. Anise gnawed her lower lip, desperately trying to think of some way to bring her favorite listener back on her side. This constant show of disbelief was really depressing considering how Anise hadn't even warmed to her tale. Drumming her feet, Anise considered, her audience was more suspicious this time around. Normally Anise could toss any line down and Natalia downed it in one swallow. Either the Princess was getting smarter… or Natalia's loyalty to Asch was just unswerving.

"Booo, you're no fun." Pouting the young fon master guardian crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Natalia. A short table held their breakfast, a humble thing of fish and bread, unperturbed by Anise's complaint Natalia helped herself to a slice of bread.

Then it came to her, eyes alight with wicked intent Anise made great a show of looking first to the left, then to the right. Nodding to herself, as if satisfied no one was around Anise allowed herself a smile. She was –truth be told- very please with herself, because the once indifferent princess was looking at her with a 'whatever are you doing' expression.

"Alright, you want a real story, one you have to swear you won't tell to Asch. Ever?" Natalia didn't promise anything, just then. But she was curious, a trait that Anise wasn't above exploiting to her own ends. The girl leaned closer, put her hands on the table –almost dipping her left in the butter plate- and whispered the last. "It's an Order secret, how we get our names. And if Asch ever heard that I knew how he got his name he'd throw me from the Tartarus after running me through."

Silence again, save it wasn't sullen. Curiosity warred with distrust, and at last, Natalia nibbled the bait.

"How would you know something like that?"

Anise sniffled, and thought hard about the kitten she had taken in which had died only a month after being in her care. The fon master guardian managed to summon a shimmer of tears to her eyes, even as she forced her voice to break a bit around the edges.

"You don't believe me? That'd I'd know? I…. I thought we were friends…"

The princess' reaction was perfectly predictable. Mentally Anise smirked. Even as she whipped at her eyes to brush away the few tears that fallen the guardian fought to keep a face straight.

"Oh… of course we are friends!"

"Then… you'll listen?" Anise lifted her head, her eyes wide. The young guardian's expression was one of wistful hope.

"Of course." Natalia shifted a bit in her chair. Absently the princess smoothing the front of her traveling gown as she studied the young storyteller with wide hazel eyes. Smiling, to herself, Anise slumped back into her chair, satisfied that with her small show of theatrics she'd suspended all doubt for her audience of one.

While Anise pretended to calm down she thought, and considered, then finally her schemes and gossip came together with a click.

"It's… not exactly a nice story, about Asch." Anise cocked her head to the side, giving Natalia a phony concerned look. "I… well _I'm_ not going to eat before I tell it. It's awful gory, you know."

"Really?" Natalia thoughtfully set her bread aside. "Well… if it truly is that disturbing to one's sensibilities…"

"We should keep our voices down." Anise said after a moment of seemingly deep thought, then after appropriate span, Anise frowned up at her audience. "But you didn't promise not to tell Asch about this! I can't tell the story if you don't promise!"

"I… I promise."

Satisfied that Natalia had taken the bait Anise hid her smirk by bowing he head in a show of shame.

"It… it must have happened right after Commandant Van took Asch away. Asch couldn't have been more than thirteen. Van with Moh's support, was waging something of a war. While the church doesn't openly proclaim it, it does lead a series of attacks on communities that don't follow the score. It's not really common nowadays, only the zealot's participate, and to be caught in one of those parties leads to instant excommunication. Still… some awful things have to happen for us to get the Score of prosperity to pass, and that sentiment is what drives members of the Eternal Blade faction of Lorelie… They say… that everyone in the special operation division… well they've either been part of the Eternal or really still are secret members. No one knows for sure… even Ion doesn't." Tapping her small fist against the table top, Anise's expression was a study of hesitancy fighting against stern determination. At last, barely it seemed, determination won out. "You... there's something you really need to know about Asch, Natalia."

"Wh… what?"

"He's the head of the special ops."

Natalia rocked back, looked almost ready to faint as hints and facts came together for her with titanic force. Anise bit her lip, worried for a second that she was carrying this story a little too far. Ignoring the small cry of her conscious, Anise made a steeple of her hands, and assumed her most serious expression, and added more fuel to the proverbial fire.

"I knew a little about Asch, you know, the rumors and such. He killed twenty people in one day, liked killing... That's what his _friend'_s say about him, even his servant won't deny it."

There was a dull thump of boot heavily falling on the dinner's wooden floors. Thinking that it was only the help -Unlike in nice inns at the town the port side inns were usually ran by off duty sailors and the like, most lazily would recline in a chair or booth until some customer caught their eye, then would hastily stand, look busy, and act all servile.- making it's rounds, Anise leaned back into her chair. She decided that if she was going to be telling a dark and evil story she was going to be comfortable while doing so. Natalia looked up, looked beyond her, and became –if possible- paler.

"You know my favorite story?" A cold masculine voice purred, from above and behind Anise. "The one I've heard circulating about my hair. How is so red because I bathe in the blood of my enemies on the battlefield."

"A… Asch? What a surprise!" Anise squeaked, making her eyes wide and innocent. His emerald gaze was flat, and clearly not amused. If Anise were a betting person –which she was when she had the Gald to spare- there was just a glimmer of what might best be classified as fury, of the homicidal type... Knowing how to read a crowd, Anise knew when the gig was up. She would have bolted then and there, save that the God-General set his arm on her shoulder and exerted enough pressure that she knew moving even a hair would lead to broken bones. "How long have you been-?"

"Long enough."

"Mer Sahguin?"

At that tentative query of that servile voice Asch released the fon master guardian with a quiet snarl. The God-general's venomous gaze promised Anise they'd resume this conversation later. With a sigh the black clad swordsman turned to the sailor who was holding breakfast. Nodding, Asch mutely ordered the man set the tray down. He then fished out a piece of Gald from his pocket and began to roll it between his long fingers. The sailor's eyes locked onto the Gald piece, even as he recited the contents of the order.

"Side o' baked fish wi' bread, Mer?"

"That's what I ordered."

"Very good, Mer."

Nervously the thin man ran his hands together. The sailor turned servant had mud hued eyes and those flicked from coin to the sword resting on Asch's belt.

"Take your pay and leave us be." Asch placed the coin on the table, far away from the food Anise noted. While the help and quarters here weren't exactly… immaculate, they weren't _that_ bad.

Natalia bit her lip, looked uncomfortable. Ignoring them both Asch turned, his hair swished over the back of his bench, so close were the tables that the red hair fell around Anise's head and lightly tickled her. Taking knife and fork in hand Asch cut into his fish, then, as if sensing Natalia's unease at last, he stopped.

"Do you know what "Tatlin" means, in ancient Ispanian?"

"No."

"Tatlin means liar." Asch said after a bite of fish, he continued. "You might want to remember that the next time the brat opens her mouth."


	4. His mistake

_A/N: Just a flash fic dealing with all the mistakes the men make after Akzeriuth... though Jade's probably seems a little OC. shrugs I see Jade as being really callous, and since he doesn't show respect for much of the party until late in the game he isn't above indulging his vice without care for the reprecutions._

From Yulia to Daath

Chapter 4

His mistake

It's… so odd." Natalia scuffed her foot against a patch of green grass. "To think that this is… and below…"

She shuddered. He understood of course, a sense of vertigo had plagued him for weeks after finding out the truth for himself. Still, Asch said nothing, allowed the others to comfort and console. His wait wasn't a long one, and for that he was grateful.

"It is kinda weird." Anise admitted with a wry grin. "Creepy really think that if we dig too deep or something we'd wind up… in that."

Not exactly the most subtle thing to do, to mention digging… or more precisely mining. Asch winced at the barrage of memories that word brought up. Ion cringed a bit into himself, his pale face turning a few shades closer to white as he remembered. Natalia bit her lip, looked away, and it was only then that Anise realized she'd hit a nerve.

"I'm sorry." Gnawing on her own lip, the young fon master guardian scuffed her small foot against the earth, unwitting miming the princess' earlier actions. "I didn't mean to bring _that_ up."

"Akzeriuth, you mean?" The Necromancer noted, pushing his glasses in place with one digit. "Yes, it seems cruel to dwell upon it, but it is a necessity…"

Ion's cringe became a wince and Natalia jerked at the word, as if that word had been a blade. Tears rimmed the princess' eyes as she looked at Jade, mutely begging the man to stop. Oblivious to the princess' silent entreaty the Malkuthite continued.

"Eventually we will have to report. Or rather I will have to report to his imperial majesty. I'll admit, I am rather ignorant as to how the policies of Kimlasca would cover such a situa-"

But Asch wasn't. He could see the grim judging stares of the council members, the quiet sympathy of the King… Feeling sick, Asch held onto the hilt of his blade as if it were a lifeline. The pain of the metal digging into his hand was enough to fight back those images… but it did nothing to alleviate his guilt, his shame. And it did nothing to shake the fact from his mind that Natalia would have to… his pity was ineffable. Poor Natalia, surrounded by people she'd known since childhood, having to recount Luke's failure, her failure… the loss of lives, of their innocence, all would be laid bare before friends and strangers alike.

And not one could shield her from that, and afterwards…. Who would support her then? Would they still see her as the light of Kimlasca, or would opportunists of the anti-monarchist faction strike at her without pity and remorse?

Jades's monologue continued, clearly he was addressing himself now, going over his report aloud. Perhaps he was even callously tending out the kinks of his planned speech for their dubious hearing pleasure. The death and suffering of the week seemed before far behind the Necromancer, Jade Curtis. Suddenly Asch found his voice. It was hidden behind the lump in the back of his throat the words scattered due to the throbbing in his head. Still he found his voice and his words and used them as he should have earlier.

"Necromancer, enough!"

Jade looked to the man known as "the bloody", his crimson eyes were alight with curiosity.

"Enough." Asch's voice came out as a harsh rasp. "Don't twist the blade."

Dropping his smile, Jade looked around, and finally _saw_ the effects of his words. Natalia was as pale as a sheet, her eyes were turned inward and were clearly tortured. The young fon master was shaking, so much so that Anise was able to shake off her own horrors and support Ion.

Guy, who had remained silent and withdrawn from the start of this journey seemed to come alive now. Prompted by the fact that there was nothing but silence around them, it was the tense quiet that seemed to jar the servant from whatever thoughts had been plauging him.

"Asch is right Jade. Enough's enough."

"Of course." Managing to sound mildly chagrined, the Colonel pushed his glasses back in place, though they had hardly strayed a half inch from the last time he'd done so. "I'll keep my musings to myself."


	5. Schism

_A/N: To any reading this who might be wondering why Bloody hasn't been updated in a while... well my Beta and I are having a little bit of a problem with a chapter. We'll smooth it out eventually, until then I'm just focusing on "Yulia" between our joint edit sessions. Just another flash fic, this time focusing on the friction between Guy and Asch._

From Yulia to Daath

Chapter 4

A familiar Schism...

"I'm not following you for any other reason..."

"Save distrust." Asch completed the scentence with a wry smile. His emerald eyes were cold, like sheets of green tinted glass. Though his lips were curled upword there was nothing comforting about the gesture.

Guy descided then and there that Asch's smile looked more like a grimace than anything else.

Taking a pull from the canteen strapped to his belt the God General looked beyond him. To a still form half lost in shadows. Curious, Guy turned to see what Asch was focused on, and seeing he understood, and shivered...

Natalia with hair the color of gold slept soundly. Her golden locks poked out from the mess of blanket's she'd wound around herself. The firelight provided the girl with a faint halo of flickuring crimson. Looking from Natalia to Asch, the servent let his hand dift to the hilt of his blade. Acting unaware of the silent threat Asch continued to stare at Natalia for a long time, his emerald eyes flickured, traced the lines of red and gold that was girl's hair.

Guy would have been outraged had he seen Asch looking on Natalia with lust. He liked the girl, she deserved better then to have some half mad oracle knight staring at her as if she were a possesion. He would have been appaled to see cold calculation in those emerald eyes, he could hate Asch for that, would have hated any man for seeing another person as a game peice.

Yet, what Guy expected and could have understood wasn't there. The black clad man's expression was unreadable. The visage of eternal frusteration softened, the lines of hate and anger weren't as prominent... Whatever the emotion, it was powerful, powerful enough so that Asch ignored Guy, ignored the unspoken threat, the silent challenge.

"Leave her alone Asch."

With a slowness that told Guy that Asch was comming out of some sort of daze, the god general turned his unblinking stare to Guy. Thier eyes met, glass green to living blue, and the younger man's grin twisted, took on an edge of bitterness.

"I won't hurt her." Asch countered, his gaze flicked to Guy's sword then back to the servant's face. He was calm, even when threatened by a childhood friend. "So you don't need to draw blade on me." After a span of tense silence Asch stretched his hands to the fire, as if cold. "Not for this, anyways. Not for tonight."

"How about for Akzeriuth?" Guy snarled. "If you hadn't been so damn secreive, if you'd just told us..."

"If that's going to be your excuse for killing me, then at least promise me you'll kill the replica after you're done with me." Asch's tone was cool, unruffled. The God-General closed his eyes, yawned, and stretched. Each motion was controlled, only going so far, yet not far enough to be motions of true relaxation.

It didn't escape Guy's notice how when Asch "let his arms drop" that they fell convienently close to the hilt of the Maestro sword.

"Are you done postering for the night, because I'm worn out."

_Like hell you are, you're more awake then you're letting on, you bastard._

"I'll take the rest of the watch alone." Guy offered, his voice a touch chill, his gaze filled with unspoken threat.

"Fine."

Not bothering with blankets or any other comforts Asch reclined on the cool grass. After a bit of shifting he lay on his back, arms crossed over his chest. A man laid out for his own funeral would have been aranged like that... Then Guy remembered, men of Kimlasca... no _warriors_ of Kimlasca, were set up like that when the body was whole enough for an open casket funeral. The eyes of the desceased were gently closed by the hands of a friend, the arms were crossed over the chest, the warrior's weapon was clasped between the palid hands...

"You're not Luke." Guy snarled the last under his breath. He turned from the fire, turned from the man who shared Luke's face, but who wasn't Luke. He looked into the quiet night, waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark.

It wasn't the night that replied to his earlier statement.

"I never was Luke. And I'm not a fool to pretend I am what I'm not, Gailardia."


	6. A headache

A short Asch Luke ficlet. Found some of my notes for this piece so I thought I'd update before I lost them again. Kasan Soulblade

From Yulia to Daath

Chapter 6

A headache

It was like a tomb. Everything was dead, the silence was heavy, and everything seemed to be incased in stone. He'd wandered the endless echoing halls a hundred times, and after what felt like wallowing in the dusty gloomy walls forever there came light.

It wasn't the light of the sun, it wasn't as if someone had ripped the top off of his prison and let the light in. Rather it was a truly alien luminescence. A flicker of color that didn't belong caught on the edge of his vision. It was a glimmer of an image so out of place among the gloom and stone and dust it made you pause and whip your head around to see.

Green this time, a spot of green that licked along the earthen coffin before him. It was the vibrant green of life, of spring, a small plant that somehow coiled against and through the stone around it. Eagerness filled him, so much so he all but danced in place. Soon, very soon, the gloom would melt away. This heavy oppressive place would let him go for just a little and he'd see and touch the world again.

No longer was the world boring, now it was something he craved. After being lost in this cavernous labyrinth, so cold and alone...

Nothing in that living breathing world would seem dull ever again.

X

Groaning Asch cracked open an eye. The first thing he saw was foliage, a spot of hazy green, but as he woke up the haze became a plant, and that plant coiled along the base of a boulder. As he stared at the boulder edged with a grey tinge of pre-dawn light Asch lay perfectly still.

His neck was tingling, his instincts screamed... for he wasn't alone. He could hear the soft breathing of those nearby, could almost smell them. The taste of the alien presences around him screeched _intruders_ upon his territorial nerves, and his hand reached to grasp the hilt of his blade. An unconscious response to training that had been drilled into him for almost a decade now. Silently he wormed his way out of the blankets... Blankets? He blinked, trying to remember. He didn't own any blankets, or at least none of this gaudy white hue... Normally when he packed for a colder clime it was unobtrusively, and white was not an unobtrusive color unless one lived in Falnoir!

_"You don't remember last night?" _

And at that voice in his head Asch remembered, last night, last week, all of it.

He sheathed his half drawn blade with a quiet curse, then remembering the blankets that Natalia had given him decided to gather them up. There weren't any streams nearby on the outer edge of the Belkend province. So he'd just drape them on a tree branch and beat the dust out of them. The exercise would be good, and being able to _beat _something would feel good.

Picking up the tenor of his thoughts, if not the words, the voice in Asch's head decided to speak it's piece.

_"And you call me a jerk." _

_"I didn't merrily kill several thousand people in the name of ignorance, Drek." _

The voice that wasn't his own, yet in some perverse way was, fell into silence. A sulking silence or so Asch assumed. An assumption based somewhat on the observation that his replica's quiet was as heavy and rough as the boulder before him. Blanket in hand, Asch considered potential beating instruments, his sword wouldn't do for the job, so cloth still in hand he knelt over his packs and dug around. Various cooking implements quickly came out. A pot, a pan, some books on history, a few letters, and some odd and end religious devices, all were set onto the dusty earth with care.

_"Just dump it already! What's taking so long?"_

It was like having an impatient child in the back of his head, a child that was far too free with comments and complaints alike. Ignoring the chanted 'dump it' going on in the back of his head Asch slowly and carefully set what he'd placed on the earth back into his packs… after meticulously whipping each article clean of dust, of course.

Trapped in the back of Asch's mind, Luke Fon Fabre growled his frustration.

Asch merely smiled.

X

It was odd and unnatural to have someone in the back of his mind. Comments that weren't his tickled his throat, he'd never let them out of course, but they came more and more often as the replica easily adjusted to his new existence. Then, when the fake Luke saw that comments weren't getting anywhere he tried questions. They were annoying, time consuming, and distracting. Worse yet, they never seemed to stop.

Despite the fact that Asch could shrug most of the questions off his replica had an unnerving habit of hitting the most sensitive of nerves.

_"Why are you staring at Natalia like that?"_

_"I'm not staring!" _

Guy turned to stare at the God General. Almost as if he had heard the conversation, or rather a part of it. Under the servant's unblinking scrutiny and rising hostility Asch realized he had actually growled the words under his breath. If so little wonder Guy looked at him... no _them_… with such hate.

_"You think that Guy was attracted to Natalia or something, the way he's glaring at you." _

"Problems, Asch?" Guy's tone was cold, though the words might be considered nothing more than a friendly inquiry. The son of Galardia took a step so that Asch was forced to look at him rather than Natalia, who _had_ been the target of Asch's wandering gaze.

_"Tell him to lighten up, you were just thinking."_ Luke offered helpfully.

_"That's what you would say Drek, and I'm not you." _

_"Just say it." _Luke snapped, his tone gaining an imperious edge.

_"He's your friend, not mine." _Asch countered grimly. He resolved -for now!- to ignore the replica's "I'm speaking to a dim servant" tone of voice. After all, he couldn't hurt the Dreck unless he wanted to start hurting himself then and there.

_"So?" _

_"So? Are you stupid or something? He'll respond differently. He'll pick it apart and see insult of threat in it somewhere. Now shut up and let me deal with it!" _

The silence had stretched between the two swordsmen, even as Asch and his replica had gripped at each other. Asch was faintly aware that the Necromancer and the Fon Master had stopped to stare. Anise, seeing her charge was content to stand in the middle of the road and stare at the drama unfolding allowed herself to rest a moment.

"L- Asch?"

Even not turning Asch would recognize that voice. Half dead, tortured even, he could and would dredge up a smile for that speaker.

"It's not important Natalia," Looking over Guy's shoulder, as if the servant were an inconvinent placed piece of statuary, Asch met Natalia's eyes. "-just a headache."

"Oh, like those one's you used to have?" She asked delicately.

"It's not as bad." Asch assured her, not quite smiling to assure her. But his tone did soften just a little, and an unexplainable warmth surged through him at her concern.

_"I think Guy's a little right. You do have a thing for Natalia."_ Luke noted, serenely. He seemed completely unconcerned that his original and his friend were mere seconds from fighting.

The servant growled low in his throat as a warning, and Asch met Guy's glare with one of his own. The friction between both men became a near physical thing, and in Asch's case it was tempting not to turn his anger into fifth fonons then and there.

_"Oh, that reminds me!"_ The red haze that precluded a fire arte shimmer into being around Asch's fingers seemed to jar Luke's mind somewhat._ "Where did you learn to be a fonist?"_

_"Are you always this... stupid!"_ Asch mentally snarled, his face twisting to match his thoughts.

Even Guy had the sense to take a weary step back when Asch the Bloody snarled at him, his emerald eyes alight with pure homicidal fury.

_"No, but I'm asleep, I can say and do whatever I want since this isn't anything more than a dream. What's your excuse?"_

The headache -which had been a convent excuse- became an all too real thing. Asch responded to Luke's attitude by forcing raw seventh fonons down the link between himself and his replica. With a screech Luke's presence and voice faded into a haze of pain, but underneath the pain was a blessed silence. The quiet made the agony in Asch's skull a wondrous respite.

From the sidelines Anise caught Ion's arm before the concerned Fon Master could approach the two men. Ignoring Ion's protests that Asch's fonons were acting funny, and other things about miniature hyperresonances, she gently pulled Ion to her. Asch, who looked ready to start killing people, now was wincing and chuckling at the same time.

"Just ignore the crazy people Ion, don't talk to them or anything."

"Crazy people?" Ion stared at her, his spring green eyes wide and guileless as any child's.

Yes," Firmly turning Ion so that he wasn't looking at Asch, or Guy, or any of the others Anise gently pushed him so that he took a few steps down the path. "Crazy people."

From behind her a little the Colonel looked upon the scene around him and just laughed.


	7. One more Day: Intro

To Yulia From Daath

To Yulia From Daath

One More Day

Intro: The Necromancer and the Princess

_To my readers, It took me forever to finish this archive up and I apologize for that. However, in my home there is a horror called "the box". It's about three feet high, and about the four feet long. Inside are hundreds of loose papers and folders jammed together. I haven't opened it since I moved out and I know I should have. The bulk of my writing's inside… I just never got around to opening it. Anyways, I've gathered my courage and opened "the box" a few days ago. Now I'm skimming off the top of "the box" trying to work my way down. Hence, the update to an old story. I finally found the ending for this archive and am putting it here for your guy's perusal. _

_As always, pleasant reading, Kasan Soulblade_

He always smiled, but there was a difference with each grin. Some said it was in the eyes, others said the difference was found in how tight he pulled the corners of his mouth. Whatever the case, he always smiled as he smiled now. But there was, as always, a glimmer of difference.

He smiled now to convey his gratitude. It was a lukewarm gratitude inspired by an equally lukewarm affection, but he was hardly a passionate _young_ soul after all.

Rain water dribbled from a hole in the canvas. He'd "accidentally" set his cup in the small trickles path, and satisfied that it was properly diluted he took the cup up once more. After a sip, and a thinning of his lips –still holding true to his devilish smile- he settled for nursing the cup in his hands. Better to warm his hands rather than poison himself in a vain attempt to get warm.

"Charming turn of weather, isn't it?" He noted blandly.

To that his youngest guests shivered. They were curled on another, two grey doves of the church curled like kittens together in a futile quest for warmth. Both were sleeping, so the irony of his statement went right over their heads. His eldest guest –an unexpected one at that- merely grimaced at his humor. She was a serious girl, the white and greens of her uniform were tinted by less… lady like hues due to the mass laundry runs that such a group as theirs would entail. White was touched by a pale blue-black inspired grey and the green once reminiscent of emeralds was now a more humble shade of leaf green. He smiled at that simile, humility and this girl were hardly compatible. But then the royalty of Kimlasca were still strong believers in the "devine right of kings".

"It's absolutely miserable," Princess Natalia conceded with a small, tentative, smile of her own. She let her gaze break off from his and looked at the two younger, more celestial, inclined member of their party. Both sported twelve years and both were as intertwined with the church as they were with each other at that moment. In innocence they cuddled together, limbs embracing, and overlapping, until it was hard to tell where the Fonist started and the Grand Master ended.

Seeing her scrutiny off of him Jade shifted back bit, inching closer to the felt walls that marked the boundaries of his tent. When her gaze drifted back to him he met her eyes once more and smiled his most winning smile.

She shivered a bit at that, perhaps dissuaded by the glimmer of white where his lips parted ever so slightly.

"Well, I should be going." Natalia whispered, courteous as always to the sleeping children in their company, "Knowing L- Asch he'll be by any minute to wake you up and say we're moving on."

"You're going out to see him?" Jade queered, raising a brow.

"I'm wet, you're not." Natalia pointed out, falling back on logic as if that would impress him.

Wet, Jade mused, was something of an understatement. There was no order to the girl's hair, it straggled across her face like a off-gold veil. The curls that normally tumbled about her shoulders were slick lumps, and it was a good thing that her garments were thick and tinted with a myriad of hues else things that should have been kept secret would have been visible to any with eyes. Lukewarm went up a degree despite as Jade looked on her and took in her shivering frame.

"If you would please," Jade asked, acting as if his consent of request could matter. "I would appreciate it if Asch did not wake up my guests."

He tilted his head to the side, still smiling all the while, to indicate the two clergy-persons of Lorelie in his tent.

And though he smiled there was a glint of steel in his red eyes. The glint was not caused by the murky light striking his glasses in any way, shape, or forum.

Natalia, seeing only the smile and nothing of the steel nodded in complete agreement to his words. Then with a dip of her head in farewell she bolted outside into the grey world beyond.


	8. One More day, chapter 1

To Yulia From Daath

One More Day

Chapter one:  Encounter in the dark

_a/n: Found some more TOA notes, and in honor of the anime coming out I plan on finishing some of the TOA stories I have in archive.  I've only got one day to update so time will be slow, but I'll do what I can, when I can.  Due to circumstance I can not spell check this segment, I wil do so next time I get access to a public computer. KS_

She'd given him the packet before leaving.  Having risked life and limb in a torrental downpour to see that he wouldn't do without the "nicities of civilization".  Her offering was a small white packet, so small it took less then half a man's palm to cradle it, the edges were tinted an pea green color.

Rolling the pouch in his gloved hand, Jade considered what she said it was, and what it could have been, he did this long after the Kimlascan Princess had fled out into the grey world beyond the shelter of his tent's canvis walls.

Some time had passed since the Kimlascan princess had come in his presence, packet of tea in hand.  Despite his hesitance in making the stuff the temperature had dropped to the point his "old" bones were begining to ache.  And so the Malkuth had gathered his courage and set the packet into the prescribed half cup of water. 

The vessel had been filled by nature's purest liquid and the "tea" (poisen might have been the better nominative) had stained the pristine waters a brown reminescent of rotting mud.  At that the Necromancer's omnipresent smile had thinned a bit, his red eyes following suit.  Jade Curtis was a military man, and as such he was supposed to be endure all manner of hardships for the name of his country and king, but there were limits...  A wave of his hand had set the stuff to a boil and the maisma that had rissen frim the brew was not the purple tinted Miasma that coiled under the very crust of Aldurant the boiling substance _had _raised a vile aroma. 

When the two celestial inclined children in his tent though began to maon in thier sleep Jade Curtis had descided to exercise his compassion, least it get fat and lazy.  He thrust his hand out of the tent flap, endurung the chill rains for all of a heartbeat.  Poisen dumped onto the ground where the rain would hopefully wash it away before it killed too much grass Jade thrust his arm back into the relitive warmth of the canvas sanctuary.  Arm numb from the elbow to finger tips, Jade Curtis craddled the limb, hugging it against the faded blue of his uniform.

The flesh was in shock of some type.  His arm shook as if it were suffering from accute hypothermia and what little he could see of the numb limb between protective layers of gloves and long sleeves was pale to the point of colorlessness.  Though in pain, Jade dredged up a grin.  Amused, as always, at his own detached analysis of the world.

XXX

Her shoes were ill suited to the rigor's of travel.  When she had jointed Luke she'd been ill prepared for the world.  Clad in a dress more suited to court than travel, packing foods doomed to an early experation, her shoes were the last remnant of that long ago time... A final hold to the vain little girl who had slipped out of a castle and into the sewers.  She'd braved that coiled like a placid serpant at the feet of Batical.  It stirs had been the clanks and rattles that rebounded in the dark of the earth, not bothering the people upon it's back.  She had wandered sewage slicked turns and weaves, sliping and stumbling, the unfamilair weight of her long bow tripping her up more than once in that dark descent.

Now she strode through a dark born of a twist of nature's whim.  She trod a ground that was treacherouslty soft and slick and rugged all in turn.  Practice had made her steps all the more secure since practice made perfect and she had had an abundance of practice.  Still, she shivered in the cold and wondered at the foolery of her actions.  The rain made a nearly impenertrable skein over the world, even having the bad taste to trickle into her eyes.  She blinked as often as she stumbled, and was for all intents and pruposes blind.  Jades' tent had been illuminated by an orange haze of the man's warming Fonic Artes, and that illumination had guilded her forward.  But Guy, Asch, and Natalia lacked the Colonel's talents with Artes.  Finding tents made of grey canvas, with a grey sky as a contrast would not be the easist task in the world.

Natalia had faced harder tasks before this.  She was not daunted.

It was only when a dark shape broke away form the tall silloettes on the edge of her vision that Natalia began to feel the familiar demon of doubt.  Whatever it is on first glance she discurned that it was tall, dark, and it slid towards her with a single minded determination.  Sensing the motion she stoped, pivioted, then took a cuatious half step back as she experienced the familiar shock of realizing that whatever it was it was after _her._  When the jolt of shock passed a surge of adrenaline took surprise's place.  Her response to the dark shape's approuch was to reach over her shoulder.  It was only when her fingers closed over nothing that she remembered. she'd left her long bow behind, an act of prudence, really.  Natalia hadn't wanted to warp the wood of her bow or ruin the last string by exposing it to this muck.

A flick of her wrist released the dagger that Jade had gifted her some time back when he had begun teaching her how to hunt.  It was a skinning knife, a broad ultarian weapon that was short, poorly balanced, and thus poorly suited for combat.  Still, it would prove suitable for desperate situations, Jade had consouled.  Asch, hearing of the knife's exitsance, had agreeed with the Colonel's pragmaticism.  The God General then had taken the colonel's suggestion one step farther.  He had gifted her a leather band so that she could bind a knife to her forearm, showing her how to wind and twine the leather so that the device that had been designed to go over his arm would better fit over her slender limbs.

Her hand shook, and seeing that Natalia clenched her hands over the hilt.  The quaking stoped after that.  Perhaps seeing the glint of the blade in her hand the dark form hesitated for a moment... just a moment... before begining it's advance again.


End file.
